Tubi Acquires Rights to Olivia Goncalves’ Former Max Series “Gordita Chronicles”

Posted on March 26, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Olivia Goncalves is preparing for a tubi-ular time…

The Max original Gordita Chronicles, starring the Latina actress, is getting a second life on Tubi after the company acquired the rights to Season 1 and will be the exclusive AVOD home of the comedy.

All 10 episodes of the single-cam series will be available on March 29 at 7:30 a.m. PT.

Created by Claudia Forestieri based on her real-life childhood experiences, Gordita Chronicles is about family, opportunity, love, resilience and boldly defying the status quo in pursuit of the “American Dream.”

It tells the story of Cucu “Gordita” Castelli (Goncalves), who has just said goodbye to all of her friends and family in Santo Domingo and moved to Miami with her marketing executive father Víctor (Juan Javier Cardenas), bold and vivacious mother Adela (Diana-Maria Riva) and status-obsessed older sister Emilia (Savannah Nicole Ruiz). While life in America is far from what they imagined, the Castellis are determined to take charge of their strange new world.

Additionally, Dascha Polanco voiced adult Cucu.

The series also boasted a list of executive producers with big names from Latino Hollywood like Eva Longoria, who also directed the pilot, and Zoe Saladana alongside her sisters/producing partners, Cisely and Mariel Saldana. Additional EPs are Josh Berman, Jennifer Robinson and Christopher King.

Gordita Chronicles was one of the only series showing an authentic representation of a Latino family living in the U.S. Max canceled the series last summer as the streamer decided to pull back on live-action kids and family programming following WarnerMedia’s acquisition by Discovery. The show’s studio Sony Pictures Television was also behind the series One Day at a Time—also a show about a Latino family— developed by Gloria Calderón Kellett and Mike Royce, which found a second and third life at PopTV and CBS following Netflix’s cancellation after three seasons.

“Thanks to the tireless folks at Sony and my favorite new streamer Tubi, Gordita lives! Beyond happy to give the shows’ fans another chance to view our episodes and looking forward to sharing them with a new audience, too,” Forestieri, who also served as co-showrunner, writer and Executive producer, tells Deadline in an exclusive statement.

Adds co-showrunner and executive producer Brigitte Muñoz-Liebowitz, “We’re so thrilled that Gordita Chronicles now has a home at Tubi. This is a huge win for comedy, for underrepresented audiences, and for fans who have been relentless in their support of the show. It gives me hope that all the stories and incredible creative work we lost in the streaming purge can continue to live on.”

Karol G & Shakira’s “TQG” Music Video Enters YouTube’s Billion Views Club

Posted on March 8, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Karol G has another streaming hit video…

The official music video for the 33-year-old Colombian superstar’s massive breakup anthem with Shakira, “TQG,” has surpassed one billion views, officially entering YouTube’s Billion Views Club.

The music video, released on February 24, 2023, as the focus track of Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito album, features the two Colombian powerhouses delivering the empowering track that’s short for “te quedó grande.”

In the bop, the artists go back and forth about moving on from their past relationships and being on another level.

“TQG” marks the eighth Billion Views Club entry for both acts as a lead, featured artist or collaborator.

For Karol, it follows “China,” “Tusa,” “Secreto,” “Bichota,” “Culpables,” “Ahora Me Llama” and “El Makinon.”

For Shakira, it follows “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” “Chantaje,” “La Bicicleta,” “Hips Don’t Lie,” “Can’t Remember to Forget You,” “La La La” and “Perro Fiel.” The former is No. 13 on YouTube’s Global Top Artists chart, and the latter is No. 21.

On the Billboard charts, the Ovy on the Drums-produced banger debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. tallies, while also crowning six other Billboard listings and becoming Karol G’s first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Furthermore, the track won best collaboration at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards.

Google Celebrates the Late Lola Beltrán with Animated Google Doodle

Posted on March 7, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

The late Lola Beltrán’s legacy lives in on(line)…

Google is officially celebrating the late legendary Mexican ranchera icon with an animated Google Doodle on what would have been her 92nd birthday on Thursday, March 7.

In the purple-hued illustration, Beltran is elegantly presented with her hair in a bun adorned with a flower, and large earrings while singing into a microphone. Known for her monumental role in popularizing ranchera and huapango music globally,

Beltrán stands among the most venerated Mexican singers of all time.

Born María Lucila Beltrán Ruiz in El Rosario, Sinaloa, Mexico, her journey to stardom began in the 1950s and 1960s, a period celebrated as the Golden Age of Mexican cinema.

Before fame, “Her church choir inspired her love of singing and she became obsessed with ballads,” reads the About the Doodle section. “In 1953, Beltrán and her mother moved to Mexico City to pursue her career as a singer. After getting a job as a popular radio station’ secretary, Beltrán earned the chance to participate in an on-air singing contest. She didn’t just win — the producers were so impressed that they helped her secure a recording contract Beltrán started to cover popular songs on air and even earned her own radio show, but she had bigger dreams.”

This victory launched her onto a path of success, culminating in approximately 100 album releases, such as Alma Cancionera de México (1960) and Joyas (1969), and starring roles in 50 films, including La Desconocida (1954) and Canción del Alma (1963).

Beltrán’s influence extended beyond music to acting, earning her widespread acclaim and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Notably, she was the first ranchera singer to grace the stage of the prestigious El Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, and performed for numerous world leaders.

Her interpretations of “Cucurrucucú Paloma” and “Paloma Negra” have become enduring standards. Beyond her artistic talents, Beltrán’s distinctive style and stage presence made her a fashion icon and emblem of Mexican cultural pride.

Beltrán’s legacy continued to flourish until her death in 1996 due to a pulmonary embolism.

Through its Doodle, Google aligns Beltrán’s tribute with past honorees such as Tito Puente, Raoul A. Cortez and Diana Sacayán.

Paramount+ to Begin Streaming New “Mean Girls” Musical, Starring Auli’i Cravalho, This Week

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Auli’i Cravalho is bringing the mean online this month…

Paramount has announced plans to begin streaming its new musical take on Mean Girls, starring the 23-year-old part Puerto Rican actress/singer, in the U.S. and Canada on March 5th, with international markets to be added at a later date.

Based on the Tony-nominated Broadway musical and the beloved 2004 film that inspired it, Mean Girls watches as new student Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) is welcomed into the top of the social food chain by the elite group of popular girls called “The Plastics,” ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George (Reneé Rapp) and her minions Gretchen (part-Cuban American actress Bebe Wood) and Karen (Avantika).

When Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina’s ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney), she finds herself in Regina’s crosshairs. As Cady sets to take down the group’s apex predator with the help of her outcast friends Janis (Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey), she must learn how to stay true to herself while navigating the most cutthroat jungle of all: high school.

A Tina Fey-penned adaptation of the Rosalind Wiseman book Queen Bees and Wannabes, the original Mean Girls starring Lindsay Lohan as Cady was released in theaters in 2004.

Its musical follow-up, also written by Fey — with music by Jeff Richmond and lyrics by Nell Benjamin — made its Broadway debut in 2018. Upon its theatrical release in January, the new film topped the domestic box office for three straight weeks, taking in over $104 worldwide.

Arturo Perez and Samantha Jayne directed thefilm, which also stars Fey, Tim Meadows, Jenna Fischer, Busy Philipps, Ashley Park, Mahi Alam and Connor Ratliff. Fey again wrote the script and produced alongside Broadway Video’s Lorne Michaels.

Max to Begin Streaming “The Color Purple,” Starring Colman Domingo, on February 16

Posted on February 11, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Colman Domingo is seeing purple to the Max…

The Color Purple, starring the 54-year-old Belizean-Guatemalan American actor, will make its streaming debut on Max on February 16.

The film musical remake from Warner Bros. and director Blitz Bazawule is up for an Academy Award, received two SAG Award nominations and earned 17 NAACP Image Award nods.

It stars Fantasia Barrino, who reprises the role of Celie after playing her on Broadway in 2007, as well as Danielle Brooks, who received a Tony nomination for the Broadway role and is now competing for a best supporting actress Oscar.

Domingo, who portrays Albert “Mister” Johnson, Taraji P. Henson and Halle Bailey also star in The Color Purple, which boasts producers including Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones, and is a film adaptation of the Broadway musical, which itself adapted the 1985 Spielberg film based on Alice Walker’s novel.

“Spielberg did justice to Alice Walker’s Pulitzer-winning novel, but he also left room to expand and improve,” wrote Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge in his review of the 2023 film. “Now, nearly four decades later, a rousing new version arrives from director Blitz Bazawule.”

He continued, “Instead of rejecting what came before, the Ghanian filmmaker embraces and builds upon it, collaborating with Spielberg, Quincy Jones and Oprah Winfrey to update the material for the next generation … The main change, apart from a cast with impossibly big shoes to fill, comes from incorporating the songs written for the Broadway musical — which also brings an additional freedom, as those numbers allow the story to transcend the characters’ harsh reality.”

In her November Variety cover story, Barrino talked about her trepidation in returning to the role of Celie. In fact, she initially said no to the movie role, turning down Winfrey herself before changing her mind. “I’m grateful that I did not allow those voices in my head to hold me back from stepping into this woman’s shoes,” Barrino said. “It was important that I did.”

Xavi Becomes First Artist of Mexican Descent to Reach No. 1 with Solo Single on Global Spotify Chart

Posted on January 7, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Xavi has made Spotify history…

The 19-year-old Mexican American singer-songwriter, who recently earned his first No. 1 on any Billboard chart, has become the first artist of Mexican descent to reach No. 1 with a solo song on the global Spotify chart.

Xavi, who hails from Phoenix topped the Spotify chart on January 2 with his single “La Diabla.”

This is the fourth time that a song with a Mexican artist has reached No. 1 on Spotify’s global chart, following Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola”; Grupo Frontera’s “Un 100xto” with Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny; and Peso Pluma‘s music session with Argentine producer and DJ Bizarrap.

The music video for “La Diabla,” which was released in late November, has garnered more than 68 million views on YouTube.

The song also reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, unseating Bad Bunny’s “Monaco.”

Xavi, whose real name is Joshua Xavier Gutierrez, first reached popularity following the release of his debut single, “La Víctima,” in August 2023.

The heartbreak song went viral on TikTok and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.

Now, he has more than 17 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Xavi has been playing the guitar since he was 10 years old, according to his Spotify profile. In 2023, he performed at the Viva Pomona festival at the Glasshouse.

After releasing music independently, Xavi was discovered on social media by Interscope Records, which also manages artists like Karol G, Kali Uchis and Selena Gomez.

Peso Pluma Tops YouTube’s List of Top 5 Most-Viewed Artists in the U.S. in 2023

Posted on December 24, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Peso Pluma is this year’s streaming sensation…

YouTube has unveiled its Top 5 Most-Viewed Artists in the United States in 2023, with the 24-year-old Mexican Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter leading the pack.

The música Mexicana (Regional Mexican) phenomenon comes in at No. 1 for the first time on the coveted list due to fans connecting through his live performance at Coachella, for example.

The artist born Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija had more than 8.5 billion views throughout the year, according to a press release from the platform.

The massive success that songs such as Yng Lvcas’ “La Bebe (Remix),” “Ella Baila Sola” with Eslabon Armado, the Karol G-assisted “QLONA,” “Lady Gaga” in collaboration with Gabito Ballesteros and Junior H, and “Rubicon” had in 2023 ultimately made La Doble P the No. 1 most played artist on YouTube in the U.S. this year.

He’s followed by YoungBoy Never Broke Again at No. 2, Drake at No. 3, Bad Bunny at No. 4, and Taylor Swift at No. 5.

Peso Puma, who hails from Zapopan, also scored two songs on YouTube’s Top 10 Songs of the Year list with “Ella Baila Sola” at No.3 and “La Bebe (Remix)” at No. 4.

The former also wrapped the year at No. 1 on the Billboard year-end Hot Latin Songs chart. Penned by Pedro Tovar about a man drawn by a woman’s beauty, “Ella Baila Sola” made history as the first regional Mexican song to dominate the Billboard Global 200 chart, where it led for six consecutive weeks.

Additionally, Pluma topped Billboard’s Top 5 New Latin Artists of 2023 list and was No. 2 on the Top Latin Artist of 2023 list, following Bad Bunny.

Jennifer Lopez is Most Searched Latina Actress on Roku

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Jennifer Lopez is popular on Roku…

The streaming network has released its list of the top-searched movies, television series, actors and actresses in 2023 on its devices — compiled from more than 1.2 billion total searches in the U.S., with the 54-year-old Puerto Rican superstar the most searched Latinx actress.

Lopez comes in at No. 4 on the list of Top-Searched Actresses behind Melissa McCarthy, Sandra Bullock and Julia Roberts.

J.Lo most recently starred in Netflix’s action/thriller The Mother and Amazon Prime Video’s Shotgun Wedding.

But Lopez isn’t the only Latinx artist to make the list.

Jenna Ortega comes in right behind J.Lo at No. 5.

The 21-year-old Mexican American actress starred in Scream VI this year, as well as the crime thriller drama Finestkind.

Here’s a look at Roku’s list of most-searched movies, TV shows and people:

Top-Searched Movies
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Avatar: The Way of Water
M3GAN
The Little Mermaid
Top Gun: Maverick
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
The Secret Life of Pets
Twilight

Top-Searched TV Shows
Yellowstone
SpongeBob SquarePants
PAW Patrol
South Park
Bluey
The Simpsons
The Chosen
Gunsmoke
Young Sheldon
Peppa Pig

Top-Searched Actresses
Melissa McCarthy
Sandra Bullock
Julia Roberts
Jennifer Lopez
Jenna Ortega
Doris Day
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Aniston
Reese Witherspoon
Anne Hathaway

Top-Searched Actors
Adam Sandler
John Wayne
Tom Hanks
Denzel Washington
Clint Eastwood
Jason Statham
Nicolas Cage
Kevin Hart
Dwayne Johnson
Tom Cruise

Demi Lovato’s Clean-Bandit Collaboration “Solo” Joins YouTube’s Billion Views Club

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Demi Lovato has a billion reasons to celebrate…

The 31-year-old half-Mexican American actress/singer and Clean Bandit’s five-year-old duet “Solo” has become the newest member of YouTube’s Billion Views Club.

The electronic dance track’s music video has been watched more than one billion times on the video platform since it was uploaded in May 2018.

The wide-lens project finds Lovato, whose vocals are featured on the song, singing to the camera in between shots of Clean Bandit’s Jack and Luke Patterson cooking up a mysterious drug in a basement lab underneath a laundromat.

At the end, a patron played by Clean Bandit’s Grace Chatto tests out the drug on her boyfriend — who promptly turns into a rainbow-colored dog.

“Since you been gone/ I’ve been dancing on my own,” Lovato sings. “There’s boys up in my zone/ But they can’t turn me on.”

“Solo” bowed at No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 about a month after it first debuted on the chart in July 2018. It was also that year’s most searched song on Shazam, with Nicky Jam and J Balvin’s “X” and Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa’s “One Kiss” following close behind in second and third place.

The song soared to No. 48 on the Streaming Songs chart in August 2018, showing 14 percent streaming gains that month. Shortly prior to the spike, Lovato was hospitalized due to a near-fatal overdose.

The “Cool for the Summer” singer is currently gearing up to release A Very Demi Holiday Special on Roku. The December 8 program will feature live performances from Lovato as well as guest appearances from Paris Hilton, Tiffany Haddish and Trixie Mattell.

Daddy Yankee to Livestream His Last “La Última Vuelta” Show Globally in December

Posted on November 23, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Daddy Yankee is taking his final show global…

The 46-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton superstar is closing out his farewell tour, La Última Vuelta, with a series of four back-to-back shows, dubbed “La Meta,” in his native Puerto Rico kicking off on November 30. The last show, however, will be live-streamed globally.

Taking place on Sunday, December 3, at the Coliseo, the final concert, which, according to a press release, will be a “totally new show,” will be able to be streamed by fans who purchase a $20 ticket.

The live stream event will be powered by streaming company Kiswe with a “state-of-the-art technology will guarantee that fans worldwide experience the passion and thrill of Daddy Yankee’s final show.”

Yankee’s La Última Vuelta trek, which kicked off last year following his retirement announcement, landed at No. 13 on the Top 40 Tours of 2022 with a total gross of over $125 million, according to last year’s Year-End Boxscore charts.

The “Con Calma” singer announced in March 2022 that he was retiring and would culminate his decades-long career with a world tour and his album Legendaddy, which he dropped that same month. The set peaked at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Latin Albums chart dated April 9, 2022.

“This career, that has been a marathon, I finally see the finish line. Now I get to enjoy what you all have given me. They say that I made this genre global but it was you guys that gave me the key to open the doors to make this the biggest genre in the world,” Daddy Yankee said in a statement then. “I confess that it’s the biggest treasure I can have in my career. I always worked so I didn’t fail you, so I didn’t get into problems, with much discipline, to inspire the new generation to be leaders. Today, I’m announcing my retirement from music by giving you my best production and my best concert tour.”

Born Raymond Ayala, his career exploded with 2004’s breakthrough hit “Gasolina,” launching a genre that altered the sound and business of Latin music and became a global phenomenon.

“This historic night will mark the end of a three-decade journey for one of the most iconic Latin American artists of our time,” said Glenn Booth, CEO of Kiswe. “We are thrilled that we have been chosen to help millions of fans experience Daddy Yankee’s final performance on a touring stage and witness his heartfelt farewell.”

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